NFL Teams Race to Lock in 5th-Year Options

0:00It's April 23rd. This is NFL News Today, powered by AI Your Gridiron Update. I'm Cory with the story. Teams are racing toward the May 1st, 2026 deadline to decide on 5th year options for their 2023 first round draft. Picks. These rookies signed 4 year fully guaranteed deals back then, but now clubs can lock in a 5th year, also guaranteed worth millions based on. Position. With 31 picks that year after Miami forfeited theirs, most decisions are still pending, but a few stars are already secured. The 2023 draft kicked off with 3 quarterbacks in the top 4 Bryce Young to Carolina, CJ. Stroud to Houston, Anthony Richardson to Indy. It delivered hits like Will Anderson, Jr., Devin Witherspoon, Jalen Carter, Bijan Robinson, and later Gems like Christian Gonzalez and Jackson, Smith and Jigba. Three years in, teams weigh performance against those big projections. Fans and analysts are buzzing over the early moves, especially for premium positions like Ed Rushers and Corners where options hit 20 million.

1:07Plus, Young's option got picked up for 25.9 million, same for Stroud. Witherspoon, Paris Johnson, Jr., Bijan Robinson, Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison, Dalton Kincaid, Anton Harrison, and Brian Bressie, all greenlit too. Signalling long-term fate. Standouts like Will Anderson, Jr., skip the option for a massive 3 year, 150 million extension with Houston. Jackson, Smith and Jigba, Inc., the 4 year, 168.6 million deal with Seattle. Big names like Richardson, Carter, and Jammer Gibbs remain TBD, leaving plenty of drama as the deadline nears. Keep an eye on those pending calls. They could reshape rosters and cap sheets across the league, setting the stage for contract battles ahead.